ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: KENNETH CARRUTH, IV
Ken Carruth began his Russell Byers Charter School education as a 4-year-old Kindergarten student and graduated from sixth grade in 2015. He went on to George Washington Carver School of Engineering and Science, but then shifted high schools during the pandemic and graduated from Agora Cyber School.
Following an apprenticeship with a master barber, Ken earned his barber license and now, at just 20 years old, he owns his own hair studio in Kensington. Thanks to a technology class and being generally tech savvy, Ken started making videos in middle school and learned how to upload and share them on YouTube. He now considers these videos part of his business. He films haircut tutorials demonstrating how to create clean lines and tight fades and shares them on social media where he’s known as “The4thKen.” One of his recent videos had over two million views! Ken is clearly a social media content creator and influencer and currently has 1.8 million likes on Tik Tok!
To grow his business further, Ken pushes himself to adapt, learning the latest styles that allow him to charge substantially more than traditional barbers for his craftsmanship. He has added special services such as semi-permanent dye, weaves for men, and other enhancements which meet customer demand. These special features, along with perks like snacks and free Wi-Fi, make a visit to his studio a unique experience. All Ken’s work paid off when he caught the attention of the Philadelphia Inquirer which profiled him in a recent article.
When asked what advice he might have for current Russell Byers students, Ken said, “Be authentic. Follow what you like to do, but don’t think you have to choose one thing.”
Looking to the future, Ken wants to maximize his business and income so he can invest in real estate both here in Philadelphia and in other tourist-destination cities. We know Ken will be a great success as a real estate mogul and continue to build a following on social media and in his shop. He’s a cut above!